For the past while I have been visiting this one website continuously (and no, it's not my blog silly, although it is pretty awesome). It is amazing for anyone who wants to or already are filmmakers.
The link is here:
http://filmmakeriq.com/
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Sirwhovian, Out!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
2013 Films
Here are some highly anticipated films for 2013 (some have already been relased). Let me know in the comments if you agree! I for one am not looking forward to the Hangover 3. But Ironman 3, oh yes. Now that is a good movie.
http://bit.ly/17cUdfK
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Sirwhovian, Out!
http://bit.ly/17cUdfK
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Sirwhovian, Out!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Battlestar Galactica Review
First off, I would like to mention the cinematography. The thing I really liked about it was it felt really real. As a big editor I focused on all the little things that needed to be fixed, but then I realized, this is the show, the cinematography helps to the atmosphere of the show. A lot of times they have glaring lights that seems to pop out in odd places on the actors bodies or faces, but it makes it feel more real. Some films try too hard at this, or try to little, but watching this, seemed like the perfect amount.
The thing is, the camera is our eyes. Through the camera we have to show people what we want them to see. If we make it boring or the lighting is flat, it won't work. That's not how peoples eyes see things. We see depth. We see shadow. We see only parts of things that are obscured by other people or things but our mind completes it behind them. Our mind corrects what looks funny. Usually when you see cinematography they try to avoid strange looks to begin with which can be good a lot of the time, because it can take you out of the story and the moment. But in Battlestar Galactica, they have the bright lights behind the characters that out shine some of their leg or their nose, but our mind works with it (unless you're an editor like me and you have to point out every little flaw).
The second thing is the editing. Again great. Can't complain. Like I said, what they did adds to the show a whole lot and I wouldn't change it. Of course there were moments where I thought a certain shot lasted to long or too short or it seemed to cut funny but that's going to be in any film or t.v. show. No ones perfect. I did think the animation on the cylons (the robots on the show) could have been better, they seemed kind of fake to me.
Now comes the writing and the story. It was captivating. My dad has been pushing me to watch this for a long time and I never wanted to. And so one day I was painting my nails and thought, I need something to watch. Then when I was flipping through netflx I found and it and thought "why not?". My plan was to just watch one episode. I ended up the next morning, not having slept, and over half a season watched. And mind you, these episodes aren't those 24 minute ones, oh no, the pilot was an hour and a half and the rest were 45 minutes long each. So obviously I was entranced by the first episode. The writing feels natural and gets you attached. It will make you laugh and probably cry and also freak out a bit (or a lot, like I did).
The basic plot (I'm not going to spoil anything for you guys, don't worry) is about this old battle ship and it's commander William Adama. Adama refuses to have cylon (the robots they created) technology integrated into his computer system to improve it and make it faster. This ends up saving them because when the cylons come back for a second war (the first war was when cylons rebelled and killed a lot of people in the first war, then they just looked like big metal machines) the technology that had been placed in the other ships were able to be controlled by the cylons and they shut down the ships and then blasted them to smithereens. This time, they have "evolved", they look human, talk like humans, and are in every way human, except they can't die, they come back to life in a new body, exactly identical to the one that was destroyed.
I feel like the plot fell apart at the end. It seemed like they had to many threads pulling in one direction, but didn't complete so many of them. I think this is because they didn't plan out their ending. They started and just kept writing, hoping it would all come together (see here for more info on planing a plot). The ending could have been very strong, but seem weak to me. I was an ok ending, not one that will make you cry your eyes out, like I was hoping for, but it was alright.
I would still recommend this show to anyone, and probably watch it with them!
-Sirwhovian, Out!
The thing is, the camera is our eyes. Through the camera we have to show people what we want them to see. If we make it boring or the lighting is flat, it won't work. That's not how peoples eyes see things. We see depth. We see shadow. We see only parts of things that are obscured by other people or things but our mind completes it behind them. Our mind corrects what looks funny. Usually when you see cinematography they try to avoid strange looks to begin with which can be good a lot of the time, because it can take you out of the story and the moment. But in Battlestar Galactica, they have the bright lights behind the characters that out shine some of their leg or their nose, but our mind works with it (unless you're an editor like me and you have to point out every little flaw).
The second thing is the editing. Again great. Can't complain. Like I said, what they did adds to the show a whole lot and I wouldn't change it. Of course there were moments where I thought a certain shot lasted to long or too short or it seemed to cut funny but that's going to be in any film or t.v. show. No ones perfect. I did think the animation on the cylons (the robots on the show) could have been better, they seemed kind of fake to me.
Now comes the writing and the story. It was captivating. My dad has been pushing me to watch this for a long time and I never wanted to. And so one day I was painting my nails and thought, I need something to watch. Then when I was flipping through netflx I found and it and thought "why not?". My plan was to just watch one episode. I ended up the next morning, not having slept, and over half a season watched. And mind you, these episodes aren't those 24 minute ones, oh no, the pilot was an hour and a half and the rest were 45 minutes long each. So obviously I was entranced by the first episode. The writing feels natural and gets you attached. It will make you laugh and probably cry and also freak out a bit (or a lot, like I did).
The basic plot (I'm not going to spoil anything for you guys, don't worry) is about this old battle ship and it's commander William Adama. Adama refuses to have cylon (the robots they created) technology integrated into his computer system to improve it and make it faster. This ends up saving them because when the cylons come back for a second war (the first war was when cylons rebelled and killed a lot of people in the first war, then they just looked like big metal machines) the technology that had been placed in the other ships were able to be controlled by the cylons and they shut down the ships and then blasted them to smithereens. This time, they have "evolved", they look human, talk like humans, and are in every way human, except they can't die, they come back to life in a new body, exactly identical to the one that was destroyed.
I feel like the plot fell apart at the end. It seemed like they had to many threads pulling in one direction, but didn't complete so many of them. I think this is because they didn't plan out their ending. They started and just kept writing, hoping it would all come together (see here for more info on planing a plot). The ending could have been very strong, but seem weak to me. I was an ok ending, not one that will make you cry your eyes out, like I was hoping for, but it was alright.
I would still recommend this show to anyone, and probably watch it with them!
-Sirwhovian, Out!
Walter Murch, In the Blink of an Eye
I read a book by Walter Murch, an editor, sound-designer, director and screen writer who worked on Apocalypse Now and many other films. This book was entitled In the Blink of an Eye (there is also a film). If you're an editor or want to become an editor or even intereasted in phycological things, this book is amazing. He combines editing with everyday things like bees and blinking and connects it all together. It's quite amazing how he did it. He really makes you think. I would recomend this book to anyone, because its really fun to watch movies and think about what he said, see for yourself kind of thing. You can also be more aware of who as an actor, becomes the character rather then just acting them out. Good book *****
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Sirwhovian, Out!
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Sirwhovian, Out!
Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus Notes
Here are my notes from watching this awful movie for "fun". I wrote these while we watched the film. I think my IQ droped after watching this.
effects bad. animation soooooo bad
acting horrid
dick lines, bad lines.
earthquake acting sucked
bad lighting
music and editing? wtf
typing? the guy looks like he was doing this jkdsfohsafgho[irawspij[h'awerfip[hasdfhjk'dfspij[asfoij[
props, unsteady
random explosions
falling the wrong way and ship moving wrong way when shark jumps up
sounds like they are saying "yay!!!"
a rope fell on chick, now shes dead???? what the hell happened?!!!!! where is the blood coming from?
amo? shooting fireworks?
how are these people dying?
reversed same shot of shark jumping over boat
shark is everywhere at one time
the boat sunk from two hits at the top of it from the shark
cinamatography and editing sucks
ship sunk in two seconds
oh dear god
why did we need to see a pig? which after being killed there is no blood
glowsticks weponrey?
how did she get to the bar with highheels in the jungle?
who is he talking to???? look at her!!!!
sound off and nothing out of the helicopter
what does he battle??????
continutiy error
bench?
how did the crock fit in two feet of water?
same cave
crock drop for no reason?
i want to throw up i hate this thing
sound terrible
oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god.
SHARKS DONT LAY EGGGGGGGGSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
effects bad. animation soooooo bad
acting horrid
dick lines, bad lines.
earthquake acting sucked
bad lighting
music and editing? wtf
typing? the guy looks like he was doing this jkdsfohsafgho[irawspij[h'awerfip[hasdfhjk'dfspij[asfoij[
props, unsteady
random explosions
falling the wrong way and ship moving wrong way when shark jumps up
sounds like they are saying "yay!!!"
a rope fell on chick, now shes dead???? what the hell happened?!!!!! where is the blood coming from?
amo? shooting fireworks?
how are these people dying?
reversed same shot of shark jumping over boat
shark is everywhere at one time
the boat sunk from two hits at the top of it from the shark
cinamatography and editing sucks
ship sunk in two seconds
oh dear god
why did we need to see a pig? which after being killed there is no blood
glowsticks weponrey?
how did she get to the bar with highheels in the jungle?
who is he talking to???? look at her!!!!
sound off and nothing out of the helicopter
what does he battle??????
continutiy error
bench?
how did the crock fit in two feet of water?
same cave
crock drop for no reason?
i want to throw up i hate this thing
sound terrible
oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god.
SHARKS DONT LAY EGGGGGGGGSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The Oscars
First off, I would like to say congradulations to all the winners of the Oscars! After the show, me and my friend, as aspiring filmmakers, were talking about what it would be like to be up there someday, getting our own Oscar. What would you do if you won an Oscar? What would you say? What would it be for (i.e. editing, directing, writing, cinematography, etc.)? Let us know in the comments below!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
From Book To Screen
My friend was just asking me why do people sometimes hate and other times love movies that are based on books. This was fun to answer. Here's what I think:
First of all, in each art medium a story is told in a different why, so when you take that exact story and change the medium, it's not going to be the same, it will be told and interpreted differently.
1. When they hate it
A. People, when they read, create this world in their head with the information given to them by the book. When the book is made into a film, suddenly their world is on the screen. It's not personal and it's not what they imagined in their heads. This ruins it. They hate the movie, then they like the book less.
B. The movie sucks
2. When they like it
When people like a movie version of a book it is probably either:
A. They never read the book and the movie was good
B. The movie is just how they imagined it like in the books (very rare)
C. The movie was good and didn't really relate a lot to the book and was almost totally different from the book so it didn't really effect the book
D. The book is more or less a part of the books and the fandom created around them
Now how do you make a good adaptation? Well one way is when you're making the film, bring the author on board. They created that world that was implanted into so many minds, so they know the littlest details that could make a big difference to the fans.
Like always if you have something you want to add, do so in the comments box below. Also I still need to know if anyone would like an advanced blog. Let me know!
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Sirwhovian, Out!
First of all, in each art medium a story is told in a different why, so when you take that exact story and change the medium, it's not going to be the same, it will be told and interpreted differently.
1. When they hate it
A. People, when they read, create this world in their head with the information given to them by the book. When the book is made into a film, suddenly their world is on the screen. It's not personal and it's not what they imagined in their heads. This ruins it. They hate the movie, then they like the book less.
B. The movie sucks
2. When they like it
When people like a movie version of a book it is probably either:
A. They never read the book and the movie was good
B. The movie is just how they imagined it like in the books (very rare)
C. The movie was good and didn't really relate a lot to the book and was almost totally different from the book so it didn't really effect the book
D. The book is more or less a part of the books and the fandom created around them
Now how do you make a good adaptation? Well one way is when you're making the film, bring the author on board. They created that world that was implanted into so many minds, so they know the littlest details that could make a big difference to the fans.
Like always if you have something you want to add, do so in the comments box below. Also I still need to know if anyone would like an advanced blog. Let me know!
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Sirwhovian, Out!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Studying Film
Reading books or listening to a lecture is a great way to learn, but for me one of the best ways to study film is to watch it. This doesn't mean veg out in front of the TV. No, this means you pay attention to what works and what doesn't work. My mom would never believe me when I told her I was studying when I watched TV, but it really is a practical method. Writers read, or artists will study others art, and musicians listen to music. That's what helps us know what we like and don't like and also ways to do things that we never thought of before. When you watch a movie maybe do a break down like I do or watch a movie with a film buddy and discuss it. You want to analyze it. You can always tell when you like a movie or you don't, but the hard part is figuring out exactly why. Something more then just what actor is playing the character. Maybe the story doesn't make sense or the editing feels off. Maybe the acting was bad but everything else was good, and you know what to look out for. Find those little things that jive with you and remember them for when you make a film. But more importantly, remember those things that you didn't like, that took you out of the story and didn't feel right, and do what you can to avoid those things in your own production.
So go watch some movies!
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Sirwhovian, Out!
So go watch some movies!
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Sirwhovian, Out!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Cinematography Tip #2 Placing Objects
If have only that one object or prop in the frame I say go for the rule of thirds. BUT what if you have an actor in it as well? Here's how you should position your props to make it look more natural on screen with your actor. I couldn't find a good enough picture so I took some of my own to help show you guys.
If you have a simple cup, you can place it where ever it looks natural on the screen,
Even if it's and inch away from your actors hand (unless there's a chance of knocking it over).
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Sirwhovian, Out!
If you have a simple cup, you can place it where ever it looks natural on the screen,
Even if it's and inch away from your actors hand (unless there's a chance of knocking it over).
All that matters is how it looks on camera on on your screen. This is always going to be some trial and error here.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that you always keep in mind what you are trying to convey. If your actor is hiding behind something, obviously we're going to see more objects of things then their face.
It's also important to know who your character is that you are dressing the set for. I recently worked on a set as a set dresser and the character was goth, so I couldn't just throw any old clothes or jewelry around the room, I had to find things that might actually be in a goth's room.
I know this might seem obvious to you guys but you have to keep an eye out for the placing, things can look awful quick if you don't set it up right. I usually still go by the thirds, if you have a flower in one third and a person in the other, it could be pleasing to the eye if done right. Always check your work when you think you're done double check it on the camera.
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Sirwhovian, Out!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Advanced Blog?
I was thinking it would be nice to have an advanced blog for people who are past the stages that I am teaching right now. What would you guys like? Should I make an advanced blog aswell? Leave your answer in the comment box below :)
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